Il Colle della Boaria
A pleasant excursion in a fairly wild environment, the path passes through open meadows initially then squeezes into the narrow Vallone di San Giovanni to Colle della Boaria over karst landscape. Splendid flowers in late spring in the alpine meadows.
Description
From the end of the unsurfaced road, at a height of about 1460 m, carry on up a steep logging track, after a short stretch the track forks, keep to the left following a sign for ("Via Ferrata"). The track climbs for a short while through a beech wood, touching on the hamlet of Maire Valletta,
a path leading off to the right to Lago Terrasole ending after a few metres. A path continues south, through flattish grassland and a less evident path branches off to the right, again to Lago Terrasole, turn left following the foot of the walls of Bec Valletta, where the above mentioned via ferrata starts.
At around 1590 m the path forks, ignore the path in front of you which leads to Colletto Campanin and keep to the left. Drop down to ford the stream, keep to the left (as the water flows) of a deep canyon and you will come to a junction at Gias sottano della Perla (1652 m, roughly 45 mins from 1460 m) to the right for Colle della Perla, to the left for Colle della Boaria.
Following the latter direction (you may find the entrance to the Vallone della Boaria overgrown) the path continues with a few wide turns up the pasture. Shortly the switchbacks become steeper over a gravelly surface leading to a sort of gully, which is climbed up its side, on the right (facing downhill) once out of the gully cross to the other side to climb over a steep ridge with a few turns of the path.
From here follow the side of the valley for a considerable way over more gentle terrain, then a short burst with a few turns in it to come out on a grassy plain, go across it. At the far side climb the last slope through grass and rock to the Colle della Boaria (2102 m, 1:30 hrs from the junction at Gias sottano della Perla).
- Departure : Vallone di San Giovanni, (1460 m)
- Arrival : Vallone di San Giovanni, (1460 m)
- Towns crossed : Limone Piemonte, La Brigue, and Tende
Altimetric profile
Access and parking
From Borgo San Dalmazzo travel up the Valle Vermenagna towards Limone Piemonte. At the entrance to the town turn left into corso Torino, then via Valleggia, via Almellina, via San Giovanni; at Casali Brick take the dirt track to the end of the road. If you are doing the unsurfaced road on foot consider 200 m climb more and an extra 45 min on the time.
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